North Texas Kids

Travis Letter Facebook Photo Contest

Win a Trip to the Alamo to see the Travis Letter

When the brash, 26-year-old commander of the Alamo wrote his plea for help on February 24, 1836, he was clear about his chances for surviving the siege by Mexican troops under Santa Anna. But Col. William Barret Travis knew the power of his words. He chose them carefully and crafted a message that transformed the Texas Revolution into an American fight against tyranny.

Now, for the first time in 177 years, the Travis Letter is heading back to the Alamo.

And so will a lucky winner, thanks to the “See The Letter” Facebook Photo Contest sponsored by the Texas General Land Office Save Texas History program. One lucky winner will receive travel and accommodations to San Antonio, donated by Southwest Airlines and the Emily Morgan by Doubletree Hilton.

8 Tips to Save on Dining Out

8 Ways to Save Money on Dining Out

By Andrea Woroch

There are many ways to save on dining out, whether it’s at your favorite diner or the best restaurant in town. Read on for tips to enjoy a tasty evening without overindulging your financial appetite.

1. Tune Your Radar
Since celebrity chefs congregate in big cities like New York and Los Angeles, you may assume Restaurant Week is only available in those locations. Wrong! If you live in or near cities such as Denver, Chicago, Charleston, Ann Arbor and San Diego, you have access to great food for less, too. A quick Google search should educate you on the timeframe and participating restaurants in your area.

2. Get Rewarded for Research
By now you know to never enter a new restaurant without first reading reviews. Sites like Yelp.com dominate restaurant review resources, but sometimes you can also find a voucher for additional savings. This is especially true for new restaurants hoping to build a customer base.

‘Me Time’ for Mom

Making Time for YOU is Essential to Good Parenting

By Amy Egan

When we are pregnant, have a new baby, and into the child’s toddlerhood, we have to put our little one’s needs before our own. We put ourselves on the back burner–a necessary sacrifice we are often happy to make. Then, once our kids are about two years old, they tend to have not only needs, but wants, and lots of them. It becomes so important around this time to make sure we are fitting in some ‘me time’ for mom. Taking care of ourselves comes in many forms; getting our nails done, having dates with our spouse (especially important!), nurturing our social relationships and interests as well as having firm boundaries with our kids.

If you wonder what the benefits to our kids are by taking care of ourselves, check out a few I have listed below:

New Exhibits Open at Sci-Tech Discovery Center Jan 26th

Bodies, DNA Mutations, Heart Dissections, Nano Science and other Kid-Friendly Fun at Sci-Tech Discovery Center this Weekend!

Sci-Tech Discovery Center (Sci-Tech) re-opens Saturday, January 26, 2013 with two brand new exhibits: Bodies in Balance and Putting DNA to Work. Also returning are two long time favorites, Coordination Station and Nano. All of this “Mind-Stretching Fun” is open to the general public at 12 noon on Saturday at the Frisco Discovery Center.

From the day you are born, your body’s systems work hard to stay in balance with each other and to deal with challenging elements you run into in the course of living in a physical world. Your body works persistently and invisibly to keep you healthy. Bodies in Balance includes 24 interactive stations with tools that explore your body’s maze of complex systems and functions.

How to Nurture Your Baby’s Curiosity

Interactive Ways To Encourage Baby’s Curiosity With Objects

From birth to 2 months, baby’s tiny hands are usually found clenched in fists. According to this parents.com article, How Baby’s Hand Skill Develops, by 3 to 4 months baby “has developed enough muscle coordination to get a grip on small objects placed in front of him.” Free, wiggly fingers combined with a new curiosity may mean you have a “new” baby on your hands; one that is far more interested in objects now than he was a month ago.

Teaching Reading Comprehension Skills at Home

How to Promote Reading Comprehension for the Struggling Reader at Home

By Kumar Sathy

Your child is struggling with reading comprehension, reading like a robot, or just unwilling to voluntarily pick up a book and read. You’ve tried everything and exhausted every reward you could possibly dangle in front of your child, and still, you can’t get your child to voluntarily pick up a book and read. What’s the answer? It’s strikingly simple, ridiculously rewarding and equally controversial.

As an experienced educator, former school administrator, tutor, and author of educational materials, I am going to catch a lot of flak for this, but I firmly believe that the best thing a parent can do is resist the temptation to intervene, interrupt, and interrogate while a child is reading.

Lazy Woman Bread Recipe

Lazy Woman Bread: Easy Bread Recipe

Guest post from KidsActivitiesBlog.com

Our friends at KidsActivitiesBlog.com have come up with a recipe for bread that’s not only easy, but allows you to make fresh bread throughout the week without a whole lot of hassle or extra work!

This is a time saver for those of you who are bread snobs and want your bread fresh out of the oven but don’t have the time or energy to mix, rise, punch, rise, bake, etc. on a daily basis.